How To Increase Human Metabolism

Increasing your metabolism and increasing the total number of calories you burn in a day are two sides of the same coin. Your basal metabolic rate -- the number of calories your body burns at rest each day -- relies in part on your genetics. Your body's muscle and fat proportions, your height, your sex and your age all contribute to your basal metabolic rate. These factors are difficult to change, but not impossible. In addition to your basal metabolic rate, your body burns calories each day from consuming food and from exercising. The easiest way to improve your total daily calorie expenditure is to increase your physical activity, which may, in turn, increase your basal metabolic rate, increasing your total metabolism.

Step 1

Lift weights two to four days a week. When you lift weights and work your muscles to exhaustion, your muscles go through a process of repair that stimulates muscle growth. Because muscle burns more calories at rest than fat, increasing your muscle mass can boost your resting metabolism.

Step 2

Drink milk after your exercise routine. A 2007 study at McMaster University in Canada showed that individuals who drank milk after strength training gained more muscle mass and lost more fat than individuals who didn't drink milk. If you improve your body composition with an increase in muscle mass and a decrease in fat mass, your metabolic rate will increase.

Step 3

Perform cardiovascular activity most days of the week. When you're physically active, you burn additional calories, increasing your total daily caloric expenditure.

Step 4

Eat high-quality protein with every meal. This could include chicken, lean beef, eggs or soy-based proteins such as tofu or tempeh. According to the book "Exercise Physiology," proteins take more energy for your body to break down and assimilate, which means you burn more calories in the process. For every carbohydrate of fat that you consume, you burn off approximately 10 percent of the calories consumed during digestion. With proteins, you burn up to 25 percent of the calories consumed during digestion -- a significantly greater metabolic response.

Tips and Warnings

Eat small meals four to six times a day. Every time you eat, you burn calories while digesting your food, so frequent, small meals will help you keep your metabolism revved.